DEAR 2010

DEAR 2010

“Also He has put eternity in their hearts…”

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Dear 2010,

I’m not exactly sure how to say this. Maybe there is no easy way. No, please don’t interrupt. I guess I just need to come out with it: darling…we’re through, it’s over. The time has come for us to say goodbye. It isn’t working out, and I need to move on. I know at times it seemed like there was some hope for us. For a little while I thought we could work things out. But we can’t. And there is no use in pretending any more.

Yes, it really is over. Of course you knew this was coming. Don’t pretend you didn’t see it. We’ve been drifting apart for months now. I know you felt it too. In fact, our relationship was doomed from the start. It was never going to work out. We were…well…incompatible. What? You thought I would change? But don’t you see; that is just the problem. I was always changing, and you never were. I need to keep changing too. This, I hope, is just the beginning. You, however, will always be the same: cold, still, lifeless. This relationship has been a bit like prison for me, and I just need to escape.

So if you are looking for some closure, here it is. I am writing this letter to say goodbye. You will not hear from me again. What was done; was done. What was said; was said. We can’t change that. We can’t go back. There is really no sense in going on about it. I really need to move on with my life. Please don’t take this personally. It is really more about me than about you. What? Yes, I do recall the good times. We had some laughs for sure. But the fact is that you and I were always moving in opposite directions.

And, well, I have a confession too. You see…there is someone else. No, it’s not 2011. Sure she is full of mystery and intrigue, a bit younger too. There is always that measure of excitement that comes with the uncertainty of a new year. But that’s not it. It’s…well…Eternity has taken hold of my heart. That’s right; I’m trading you in for an older model! I simply cannot settle for weeks and months and years any longer. Not since the change. I need more than moments. All days leave me somewhat dreary. The four Seasons are now a sort of stockade to my soul. Why settle for carpé diem when I can carpé aeternitatem instead?

I must be going now. No hard feelings? The fact is that, regretfully, you will never be short of suitors. Hundreds give you their hearts every day. Thousands trade away eternity in exchange for the fragile trinkets of time. Their lives are scribbled away in their schedules. Days and weeks are their gods and goddesses. They are children of Cronus. The calendar is their creed. Today is all they have. Like fools we run our fingers through the sand while immortality is offered to our souls. Like drowning men we clutch for the frayed rope of days and hours. All the while the Everlasting Arms are stretching out ready to embrace us. Reader, you have been invited to the Feast of Forever. Stop trying to satisfy your soul with the crumbs which fall from the Table of Time. Hear Him who is both Beginning and End, and who says to us: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Our Spiritual Nativity

Our Spiritual Nativity

“Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan…”

Ezekiel 16:3

Our word “nativity” has roots which linger back many centuries into the history of our language. We may trace it back in time to the Old French nativité, meaning “birth” or to the Latin “nativus,” meaning “born.” “Nativity,” according to standard and modern usage, refers to the process, place or circumstances of a birth. It is then, first, a biographical term. Thus our Southern friends from the Volunteer State sing accurately, and with forgivable partiality, “Oh, Tennessee, my Tennessee, thy hills and vales are fair to see…the land of my nativity.” In due time, however, the word ‘nativity’ came to signify more specifically the birth of Jesus Christ. When so used we typically capitalize the word Nativity to indicate this sacred and special use. Once a year in late December Christians commemorate this Holy birth with Nativity sermons, Nativity scenes and Nativity songs. And well we should.

There is, however, another important nativity that we as Christians sometimes tragically forget. The nativity to which I refer is our own spiritual nativity. Not our personal Christian heritage or tradition, but rather the true spiritual origins of our relationship with God Himself. What were our “beginnings” with respect to our fellowship with the One True and Living God? It is this nativity to which the Lord refers, when speaking to His people through Ezekiel the prophet, saying “your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan.” God reminds them, as it were, of the spiritual sewer from whence they came. Jerusalem, and by extension her inhabitants, had a shameful and sordid past. “Thou hast” writes Matthew Henry upon this text “from the very first, the spirit and disposition of a Canaanite.” Ezekiel was to expose their “abominations” by unveiling Jerusalem’s ancestry: “Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite (Ezekiel 16:3).” The city of David had once been a culture of death. If the old mountains and ancient trees around Jerusalem could talk, they would, like Able’s ground, cry out of guilt and blood.

This, we must see, is the ‘beginning’ or ‘nativity’ of every Christian. Every spiritual child of Abraham must remember that “your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan.” No matter how many generations of faith we might trace, here is our nativity: you “were dead in trespasses and sins…and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others (Ephesians 2:1, 3).” Our spiritual ‘Bethlehem’ is the City of Destruction. The wax tablet of our nature enters this world notched and etched with sin already. We are all born spiritually upside down, in un-uprightness, if you will. The pedigree of our hearts is full-blooded ‘heathen’. Interestingly, early usage of the word “nativity” signified especially one who was born a slave. That is precisely the way Scripture describes us: slaves of sin. Thus coming into the world undone, we were also entirely unable to help ourselves. Paul describes this aspect of our spiritual nativity with these words “when we were still without strength (Romans 5:6).” Finally, we not only came into this world unable, but we were un-pitied as well. “No eye pitied you (Ezekiel 16:5)” said the prophet.

How then shall we apply this principle of our Spiritual Nativity?

First, remember it is only against the ghastly backdrop of our nativity that The Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ truly stands out. This is the contrast that moves this Season from sentimental to simply staggering. He came for me?! Really? The wonder of Christmas is not only that God became man, but that God became man for me! Our nativity points to our depravity. Christ’s Nativity points to His humility.

Second, this consideration of our own spiritual nativity ought to change the way we think of ourselves. Remember, Christian, where you came from. “But we are all like an unclean thing (Isaiah 64:6).” Paul warns each one “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think (Romans 12:3).” We entered this world with Canaanite blood streaming through our spiritual veins. Put away that foolish pride! We have nothing of which to boast.

Third, our spiritual nativity reminds us that God can produce Christians out of Canaan. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. This is what He did for Jerusalem. “When I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, Live!...and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful (Ezekiel 6:6-7).” Reader, wherever you are right now…God can save you. You may think yourself the worst of sinners, but He stands ready to redeem you. He will wash away your sins and bestow upon you the splendor of His grace in Jesus Christ. He did so for His people in Jerusalem: “My splendor which I had bestowed on you (Ezekiel 6:14).” He will do so for you. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

Finally, my beloved friend, beware of turning back from this grace that has been given you. The ungrateful inhabitants of Jerusalem turned back, and Ezekiel had to come to them with “Woe, woe to you! (Ezekiel 16:23)” Peter’s warning is both severe and necessary “For if they, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning (2 Peter 2:20).” Remember your Spiritual Nativity…and don’t go back!

FIRE PROOF

Fire Proof

“…and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power”

Daniel 3:27

Great fires take only a small spark to get going. Once begun, it spreads rapidly and destroys completely. Sin is like fire. Sometimes the very smallest temptation is all that is needed to set it ablaze. Before long it has destroyed all we valued. “See how great a forest a little fire kindles” says James (James 3:5). We cannot escape the fires of temptation in this world. Even the monastic life, as Luther discovered, is no protection from those sparks of sin we carry about in our flesh. How much harder however, for those who must trade and travel in the streets of Sodom, to remain unharmed by the flames and untouched by the fire. Lack of success in resisting and conquering sin brings discouragement, depression and doubt. A Christian may wonder if there is any hope of escape. The fire is so hot and always so near.

It may be therefore somewhat surprising to read of these 3 friends of Daniel, upon whom “the fire had no power.” It was no ordinary fire either. The flames were fueled not merely to injure these fellows, but to incinerate them. Nebuchadnezzar ordered it 7 times hotter than normal. The soldiers who bound them and brought them to the furnace were themselves burned to death by the blaze. Hell itself, as it were, took up residence for a few moments in this province of Babylon. All that is evil, all that sets itself up against God, all hatred, envy, murder, strife and the like came with unrestrained appetite to devour these holy men. And yet, for all this, “the fire had no power.”

Oh my soul, if ever the grace of God at work in the hearts of man was seen, here it is. Let us give glory to this God of all grace and inquire after the true source of their survival. By what means did the Lord preserve these Israelites from the wrath of Hell? And how may you and I also escape both the scorching flames of sin in this life, and the eternal flames of judgment in the next? Let us look closely, though briefly, at Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego and ask the Lord to open our eyes that we might see.

The first thing I see is men who would not negotiate the praise of God. Even upon the threat of death for not bowing to worship the sacred image they would not surrender their devotion to God. God’s glory was not on the bargaining table, if you will. Thus they said to the king “we have no need to answer you in this matter.” That is, our minds are made up, our intentions are firm: we will serve the Lord. Oh my soul…when the flaming fires of temptation surround you, can you say with these men that you have “no need to answer.” The question has already been settled long ago. Is my heart so committed to Christ’s glory that I refuse even to negotiate with sin?

The second thing I see is a faith that is fully persuaded of the power of God. Sin looks strong. Satan looks strong. Hell looks strong. But these 3 men knew of a power that was greater than all these. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.” Oh my soul, how much need do I have to meditate on and consider deeply the infinite power of the God we serve. When sin seems strong, and the Devil flexes his muscles of malice toward us, and the forces of the enemy seem to surround us…remember the sovereign power of God Almighty. “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).”

The third thing I see is men fully at peace with the providence of God. They will not argue with the Lord’s plan for them, even if that plan involves a fiery furnace. The Lord could deliver them they knew full well. “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” A great defense against the fires of temptation is a humble submission to the will of God. This was Job’s defense. “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Dear reader, are you afraid that if you forsake that beloved sin you will die? Can you not bear the thought of life without that precious ornament of Hell? Then die. Cut it off; pluck it out, even if you must lose your life in doing so. Jesus said “he who loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:39).” Die to sin and live to God. That is the ultimate submission of true faith to the perfect plan of God. Well spoke the hymnist who wrote:

Whate’re my God ordains is right:

Though now this cup in drinking,

May bitter seem to my faint heart,

I take it all unshrinking.” (Samuel Rodigast, 1676)

Finally we find in these men the blessed presence of the Son of God. These 3 alone, it seemed, stood up to this wretched king and his treacherous demand. These 3 alone, it seemed, stood their ground while all of Babylon bowed. These 3 alone, it seemed, were cast into the fatal fire. These 3 alone, it seemed, would suffer a fearful demise. But were they, Oh my soul, ever alone? Consider what this king did see: “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” The great reason for their victory was the effective presence and protection of Christ Himself. None are safe without Him, but all are safe who come to Him in faith. Do remember, dear reader, the presence of Christ in the midst of your own fiery trial! “I will never leave you nor forsake you” He said. This promise has not expired, and will never expire, through all eternity for those who love Him.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine...when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you."

Isaiah 43:1-2

BETTER LEFT BROKEN

Better Left Broken

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise."

Psalm 51:17

God fixes things. Is He fixing you? Right from the beginning of the world He has been about setting things right. Adam was created first, without a wife, and the Lord said “it is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a helper (Genesis 2:18).” But our God’s grace in restoring and repairing is displayed even more vividly after man fell into sin. Our relationship with God was ruined by our rebellion. But God through Christ has undertaken to repair this by the Cross for all who believe: “For He Himself is our peace.” Where ruining sin abounded, restoring grace abounded much more. The whole of heaven and earth are even now awaiting this Divine Repair. God fixes things. It is, in fact, His name: “and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to dwell in (Isaiah 58:12).”

The Scriptures, however, speak of one broken thing which God will not try to fix. Everywhere else He makes gracious provision for repair. But here alone He, as it were, restrains His very nature and leaves this thing broken. He is pleased, if you will, by its brokenness. This thing, dear reader, is a broken heart. So says the Psalmist: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart – these, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17).” A broken heart in man is a great delight to God. He draws near when He finds it. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart…(Psalm 34:18)” He who gives sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to the lame and even life to the dead…comes to this broken heart and says, as it were, “ah…better, much better, if this is left broken.”  A broken heart is a beautiful thing to the eyes of God.

But what exactly is a broken heart? What do the Scriptures mean by a broken heart? How can I know if I indeed have a broken heart? These questions come to my mind. I suppose there are many more. At best we can scratch the surface of this important truth. But the answers to these questions should get us driving in the right direction.

A broken heart is, first of all, a sin-sick heart. A broken heart is broken under the weight and reality of its own sin. The holy law of God stands in righteous judgment over this heart that knows it is a sinner. “God be merciful to me a sinner” is the cry of a broken heart. This heart no longer seeks to justify sin. This heart no longer seeks to excuse its sin. This broken heart sheds holy tears of sorrow and godly repentance over his sin. Reader, does your own sin sicken you and sadden your soul? Does your heart cry, like Paul, “Oh wretched man that I am?” That, I believe, is a sign of a broken heart. God loves this broken heart because it is He, by His Spirit, who broke it. Charles Spurgeon, that great London Baptist preacher of the 19th century, said this in a sermon about the work of God’s Spirit in the heart of man: “The Holy Spirit lays bare his heart, lets him see the loathsome cancer that is there eating away his life, uncovers to him all the blackness and defilement of that sink of hell, the human heart, and then the man stands aghast.” A broken heart is a sin-sick heart. Have you, dear reader, stood aghast at the sight of your sin? If not, then I fear you have not a broken heart.

A broken heart is, secondly, a sin-slain heart. Knowledge of his sin and misery has left him helpless and hopeless of saving himself. He that has a broken heart knows he can do nothing to please God. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” He is, as Paul says to the Ephesians, “dead in trespasses and sins.” Reader, has your own sin crushed you and killed you? Or, in your own mind, is it not so bad as that. Every sin has death written on it. “The wages of sin is death.” Do you believe the words of this old and wise confession “All people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath, unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil, dead in their sins, and slaves to sin; without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit they are neither willing nor able to return to God, to reform their distorted nature, or even to dispose themselves to such reform?” A broken heart is a sin-slain heart. This heart sings, with the hymnist, “nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.” A broken heart has given up all hopes of saving itself. Reader, do you believe this? If not, then I suspect you have not a broken heart.

A broken heart is, thirdly, a sin-surrendering heart. It longs to be rid of sin. “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” A broken heart longs for heaven, longs for God, longs for Christ. A broken heart wants be rid of all the remnants of sin within, “earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven (2 Cor. 5:4).” Dear reader, are you ready to leave every sin this very moment? The broken heart is like Moses who chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin…for he looked to the reward (Heb. 11:25).” The broken heart says, with Augustine, “Lord, save me from that wicked man, myself!” Do you desire to be saved from yourself, your sin, your corruption, and all your evil desires? If not, dear reader, you have not a broken heart.

Finally, a broken heart rests in the only Savior for sinners, Jesus Christ. Broken hearts come to Jesus Christ. They say, with the Psalmist “My flesh and my heart fail me, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).” My dear reader, if you are seeking to deal with your sin in any other way than coming to Christ, you have not a broken heart.  It must be said of you, as Peter said to Sorcerer, “your heart is not right in the sight of God (Acts 8:21).” . Believe this: Jesus Christ only dwells in broken hearts. A broken heart is the closest thing to heaven on earth. God dwells there. “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word (Isaiah 66:2).” Listen to these words of the Puritan pastor Thomas Watson: "Faith lives in a broken heart. 'He cried out with tears, Lord, I believe.' True faith is always in a heart bruised for sin. They, therefore, whose hearts were never touched for sin, have no faith. If a physician should tell us there was a herb that would help us against all infections, but it always grows in a watery place; if we should see a herb like it in colour, leaf, smell, blossom, but growing upon a rock, we should conclude that it was the wrong herb. So saving faith always grows in a heart humbled for sin, in a weeping eye and a tearful conscience." God loves a broken heart. It is, in fact, the one thing that is better left broken.

10 TIPS FOR NEW CHRISTIANS

10 TIPS FOR NEW CHRISTIANS

“I have been young, and now am old…”

Psalm 37:25a

I don’t know how old David was when he penned those words above. Somewhere “over the hill” I suppose. Clearly he was mature enough to have gathered some experience and wisdom in the things of this life. "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread." David’s age and personal experience lend weight to his argument and appeal. Time can be a great tutor. We instinctively trust those whose thoughtful teaching is drawn from the deep well of a long life. The observations of those who are older are like road maps handed down to the younger in the journey of life.  Rejecting the good advice of older folks can be ruinous.  Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, went astray when he “rejected the advice that the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him (1 Kings 12:8).”

I gather from this that the experiences and observations of older Christians can and should be passed along to those who are younger in the faith. King David is saying in this Psalm, as it were, “allow me tell you what I’ve seen.” Those who have walked with the Lord longer should have something helpful to pass along to those that find themselves nearer the beginning of this path. Jesus seemed to have a special love for children. He gathered them around Himself saying “let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them.” Christians should love every believer, but especially those whose faith is young or newly born. Hence John, pouring forth loving counsel in his first epistle, in 5 short chapters does 9 times specifically address the “little children.”

I have been a Christian myself for just over 20 years. By some standards I’m still in the “young” category. Frankly, I still have much to learn and much more to grow. I certainly have not “arrived.” I deeply appreciate the good counsel and sound advice I have received along the way from those far more mature as Christians than I ever hope to be. Yet 20 years seems long enough to have something to say to the younger saints. Though not as old as some, I am older than some, and would thus like to pass along a few tips to new Christians. I am not going to defend each of these points with a Biblical text or with endless quotes. My purpose is merely to share a few observations and suggestions in the simple spirit of “I have been young, and now am old…” This is what I have seen. These suggestions are not arranged in any particular order of importance. I simply wrote them down as they came to me. The fact that there are “10” was mostly unplanned.

My advice for new Christians:

1. Find a good local church, join it, and get involved. Without getting into too much detail about what is a “good” church, suffice it to say that they will believe in the authority of God’s Word and teach it. The pastor will preach the gospel and tell you how to live as a Christian also. But my main point is this: join and get involved. Do not be forever shopping and hopping from church to church looking for that perfect expression of the “ideal” church you have in your mind. I have rarely found a mature Christian, active and useful to the Lord, that is not connected with and serving within a local church. Become a member and find something to do.

2. Make friends with an older Christian and get to know them. If you are male, find an older and mature Christian man to befriend. Ladies…find a mature Christian woman and get to know her. Ask them to meet you for breakfast. Find out what their interests are and see if you can strike up some common ground for discussions and friendship. This doesn’t have to be a Bible study. I am simply suggesting you find someone further down the Christian road than yourself, and learn to tag along with them when you can. Some of the most helpful experiences of my younger Christian life occurred while sitting across a breakfast table at a local restaurant with some older believers.

3. Begin the life-long habit of daily devotions. By this I mean that you should make daily time for Bible reading and prayer. Pick a time that you can be consistent. Use a Bible reading plan to help you make steady progress through the Word. In my eagerness as a young Christian, I actually wrote out my own plan for reading the Bible. I still have this in my Bible today. But you can use any number of plans already made. Church and good preaching are important, but I have never met a healthy growing Christian that is not regularly reading his/her Bible and spending time in prayer. How long every day? I will leave that for you to prayerfully consider. If you want to read the whole Bible in a year, it will involve reading about 4 chapters a day. But quality time is more important than mere quantity. While reading, think about areas of your life that need to change to match what God is saying in Scripture. If you do this, you will grow. By the way, if you don’t have a cover for your Bible, pick one up. Make sure it has a pocket or room for a little notebook and a pen.

4. Keep a journal/notebook. I suggest you keep a little notebook in which you keep track of your Bible reading and notes. If you always read in the same place, just leave this notebook there with your Bible. Otherwise, make sure it is small enough to slip into your Bible cover. Inside, record the date and what you read. If you have time, write down any specific verses that spoke to you and what thoughts came to mind. Take this notebook with you to church and any other studies you attend and use it to write down notes in. In the BACK, write down any particular things you are praying about. I wouldn’t include anything too personal or private, as this book could be lost. With that in mind, put your name and contact information inside the front cover, just in case. It might not seem important now, but over the years I believe this habit will bear fruit and you will find yourself more productive in your reading, diligent in your prayers, and generally more knowledgeable in your Christian walk. I can recall how I would write down my thoughts on particular verses that struck me. I still have this journal, and I still employ this method of learning and reading.

5. Memorize Scripture. I recommend, along with your little notebook, that you purchase some 3x5 lined note cards. When you read a verse that is especially helpful, write it down on these cards and begin to commit the verse to memory. Go slow. Have some cards with you wherever you go. Having God’s Word memorized will strengthen your faith and equip you to share it like no other discipline I know.

6. Get involved in some mid-week Bible study or group. It is a long time between Sundays. Meeting together, when possible, with other Believers ‘mid-week’ will keep you accountable, help you to keep in touch with one another’s needs, and allow you additional opportunities to study and pray. I can tell you from my own experience that long absence from any sort of weekday involvement with other Christians tends toward a drying and dulling of your spiritual life. One of the first signs that a Christian is beginning to backslide is their absence from the prayer meeting. If your job or schooling makes this impossible (and it might), and you cannot make any changes in your schedule to allow it, then at least try to contact another Christian by phone or meet for breakfast at some point in the week. If your church does not offer such a meeting, speak to your pastor, offer your own home or apartment as a meeting place, and volunteer to get the word out to others. Have a mature Christian lead a little study with you and a few others if necessary.

7. Get involved in some good works. Give a little time to helping a local charity. Volunteer some time with a food bank. Visit a homeless shelter. Write letters to someone who needs encouragement. One of the best ways to combat discouragement is to focus your attention on the needs of others. You are in a spiritual battle my friend. And one of the key strategies of our “enemy” is to get us absorbed in our own issues and struggles so that we are virtually useless to those around us. Plan to do something good for someone else every week.

8. Share your faith. Pray for and look for opportunities to tell others about Jesus Christ. Invite a friend to church. Take home a handful of tracts from church and have them handy so you can give them out when the opportunity arises. I have gone door to door with a Pastor, handing out information about the church. I have distributed tracts in a downtown area with a friend. Don’t be afraid that you might not know the answer to a question. You can always say “I don’t know.” Then ask someone who does. The very activity of telling others the gospel, about how you came to know the Lord, and inviting them to church will mature you and strengthen you in your walk. Don’t be discouraged with what appears to be limited results. Leave that with the Lord. Just keep spreading the seeds.

9. Read some good books. Just as befriending and older Christian will prove useful, I believe “befriending” some of the important Christian books of our past will go a long way in helping you mature as a Christian. I could recommend some. But really, I think you would do best to ask the advice of your own pastor or that mature Christian friend for some suggestions. Your church may have a library. If so, use it. Read something every day if you can. Keep 1 book in the car at all times, as you never know when you might be stuck somewhere and have some unexpected time on your hands. Write down what you are reading in that notebook that I suggested back in tip #4.

10. Remember the Lord’s Day. This one may seem strange to some Christians. But I would suggest to you that a careful remembering of the Lord’s Day (Sunday) to keep it special is an important element to your spiritual maturity and growth. Granted, this is largely forgotten today. At best, one hour on Sunday is reserved for church, and the rest of the day is typically spent on recreation or personal entertainment. I truly believe this is one of the key reasons why there is so very little true Christian maturity in our generation. You may disagree, and I don’t want to argue it here. But I can tell you from my own experience that Christians who generally treat Sunday like any other day – except for the hour they give for worship – rarely seem grow as quickly as those who improve this day by setting it aside for the Lord. Use this day to rest and refresh your body and your soul. Use this day to serve others and better prepare yourself to be a blessing to those around you. Habitually attending a morning and evening worship service is a very helpful way to protect this day from other encroachments. And if you must work this day, I highly recommend you pick some other day during the week and treat it equally as carefully and respectfully in honor of the Lord.

If you are reading this and are not a Christian, it is the sincere desire of my heart that you would embrace the provision God has made for sinners like you and I in the Person of Jesus Christ. The punishment that we deserve fell upon Him. This is the gospel: “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5) and “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).” Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. And if you are a Christian, particularly a new believer, then my prayer is that you may “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).”  My young friend...“I have been young, and now am old…” I hope you will consider these suggestions, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Your soul’s well-wisher,

Jason